Ed Vaizey: Radio listeners need to be persuaded of the benefits of digital switchover

"Ed Vaizey, the culture minister, will acknowledge listeners’ frustration as he commits the Government to “support the ambition” of turning off the FM radio signal in 2015… "Listeners need to be persuaded that the content on offer is compelling, that the quality is high and that digital radios, at home or in the car, are affordable and have listening quality at least as good as FM." – Daily Telegraph

"Many British households already have digital radios out of choice; but there is a particular problem with some 30 million car radios, almost all of which are analogue, and which will need to be converted or replaced at considerable cost… No doubt Mr Vaizey wants to bring some clarity to an otherwise confused picture. But this is one inheritance from the last government that he would be well advised to consign to Mr Clegg's bonfire." – Daily Telegraph editorial

Torture victims say they will not have their 'silence bought' by Cameron

"Terror detainees yesterday accused the Government of trying to buy their silence over torture claims. Up to a dozen former suspects may be paid compensation as part of an inquiry announced by David Cameron." – Daily Mail

Tony Blair under pressure to testify to torture inquiry – The Guardian

High speed rail plan to withstand spending cuts

"A high-speed rail network linking London to the Midlands and the North of England will withstand the harshest spending cuts since the Second World War and work will begin within five years, the Transport Secretary said yesterday. Philip Hammond put the vision of high-speed trains servicing Heathrow airport “at the heart” of the Government’s transport policy." – The Times (£)

The Mail lauds Michael Gove

"At last! After 13 years in which Labour placed social engineering and pupil-power above education, common sense is breaking out in Britain’s classrooms. Dumbed-down exams are being toughened up. Schools are being freed from political interference. And now teachers are to get greater protection against pupils’ malicious allegations, and more power to deal with troublemakers. The Mail applauds Education Secretary Michael Gove on a promising start." – Daily Mail editorial

Private schools forced to offer more free places

"Private schools have been forced to provide more free places for children from poor homes for the first time amid fears they could face state intervention." – Daily Telegraph

Seek work or lose benefits, warns IDS

"Yesterday, Iain Duncan Smith laid out his ambitious welfare reform programme to senior civil servants. By taking people off out-of-work benefits such as incapacity benefit and putting them on to jobseekers' allowance, Duncan Smith raises the prospect of a US-style workfare model where people "take personal responsibility for accepting work when it is there". – The Guardian

Lansley wants the NHS to "nudge" – not nanny – people into making healthy decisions

"People should feel able to eat a bag of crisps or a Mars bar if their overall diet is good, Andrew Lansley Health Secretary has said, as he pledged that the NHS would stop nannying. The NHS will nudge people to make the right decisions about healthy lifestyles but not nanny them in future, he told a public health conference." – Daily Telegraph

"Junk food firms will be made to pay for anti- obesity campaigns – as the Government plans to cut its funding, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said yesterday… Mr Lansley said he wanted firms like chocolate-makers Mars and Cadbury and fizzy drinks giant Coca-Cola to take a bigger role in funding initiatives to tackle the UK's obesity problem." – The Sun

Confirmation that UK troops in Afghanistan will pull out of Sangin

"British troops in the Sangin area of Afghanistan's Helmand province are to be replaced by US forces, the UK's Defence Secretary Liam Fox has said." – BBC

"With the Strategic Defence and Security Review pending, Britain must learn from Sangin, and move towards an honest acceptance of the costs of preserving our place in the world. Such is the rightful respect for our troops, there will be few at home today willing to describe the British withdrawal as anything other than an honourable end to a successful campaign. In truth, this is not quite the way that our American allies, at least privately, see things." – Times (£) editorial

"The Tory party's biggest donor Lord Ashcroft has given up his 'non-dom' tax status to stay in the House of Lords, it was confirmed today. His decision follows new rules forcing wealthy peers who are non-domiciled for tax purposes to surrender their Lords privileges." – Daily Mail

Give Mayor power to raise his own cash, says Boris Johnson's policy chief

"Boris Johnson should be given greater tax-raising powers by the coalition Government, his policy director said today. Anthony Browne admitted it was a “big ask” but said the Mayor had “earned” the right to have his fiscal powers extended." – Yesterday's Evening Standard

The term "institutional racism" has become a barrier to Met police reform – BBC

Gay asylum seekers can stay in Britain, Supreme Court rules

"Britain is likely to become a safe haven for more gay asylum-seekers after a landmark ruling in the Supreme Court yesterday. Five justices unanimously ruled that homosexual asylum seekers could not be deported on the ground that they could conceal their sexual orientation in their home country." – The Times (£)

"Andy Burnham, a contender for the leadership of the Labour Party, has accused supporters of a rival camp of conducting "malicious briefing" in the hope of getting him to throw in the towel. His remarks are the first public sign of mutual antagonism in a leadership contest that has been marked by restrained language up to now… Mr Burnham's camp have remained tight-lipped about who they blame for the smear but some have been quick to point the finger at supporters of Ed Balls." – The Independent

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